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PAX Hands-on: Warp (XBLA, PSN, PC)

Waking up in a secure observation room of an underwater research facility is no way to start your day. Unfortunately, that grim scenario is exactly the situation in which the protagonist of Trapdoor, Inc.’s Warp finds itself. Luckily, as the title implies, the as-of-yet unnamed hero has the ability to teleport about 3 feet in any direction. More importantly, however, the ability to warp also allows passage through nearby walls and sealed doors and even into objects and enemies, effectively possessing them – an ability that comes in very handy moments later, when, after warping out of the cell, a nearby scientist sets off an alarm that seals the doors and brings armed guards to full alert.

The next few minutes of the demo allowed me to try out the warp ability in a variety of ways: jumping between rooms, quickly leapfrogging a line of barrels (a speedy alternative to walking), or possessing and then exploding electrical transformers and soldiers into so many pieces using the “Frag” technique – the first of several earned throughout the game. And all of the jumping back and forth was easy to keep track of, thanks to an isometric camera view keeping me high above the action and able to see between rooms.

The brief time I spent with Warp was nothing short of delightful. Tight, responsive controls, a mild difficulty curve, and great level design eliminated the possibility of frustrations like cheap deaths or aimless wandering. And extra touches including security feed loops on various computer monitors and sea creatures swimming around in the waters surrounding the facility were the icing on the cake that is Warp‘s already great art style. I look foward to seeing what else Warp has to offer when it releases sometime later this year.

Aaron Kirchhoff

When not wasting his youth as a research assistant, Aaron escapes from the stress of real life in videogames, excessive alcohol consumption, and, above all, the internet. Should he be pestered enough by his fellow staffers, he may actually write an article or review for SideQuesting.